….let there be shopping….

Archive for the tag “East London”

Went to the Big City yesterday. ( East London, South Africa. Not East of London LONDON, England. Sadly. )

Going to The Big City is A Big Deal if you live on a farm in the sticks, 120 km from civilization. Or rather, it is A Big Deal if you’re a deprived shopaholic married to a farmer.

The farmer would prefer never going to The Big City. He would prefer to stay on his farm and farm. This is a lesson I never learn.

But lets ignore him for now. Lets get back to the city girl living 120 km from civilization Going To The Big City.

For her there is the week BEFORE Going To The Big City. ( ” We are going to have such a good time! I’ll finally FINALLY find the one elusive piece of clothing that will shave 20 kgs off my butt! And we’ll find a great place to eat! And the kids will have fun ! And hubby will relax! And…..! )

There is the actual Day In The Big City. ( “Why can I never find anything I like? WHY did I bring a farmer shopping? He couldn’t be more miserable if he tried.”)

And then there’s the trip back from the Day in The Big City. ( ” Oh heavens alive. I look like hell. Time to up the exercise! Get fit! Get toned! Get thin! And time to ban farmers and children under 5 from malls. In fact, there should be bouncers at all entrances of all malls denying farmers and children access. I am never, NEVER taking the whole family to The Big City again. EVER.” )

And a month or so goes by.

And another trip to The Big City starts looming. ( “We are going to have such a good time!……………….”)

SUCKER.

( ps. this is NOT my husband. This is how much my husband loves his farm. )

This is a “lappie” household. ( “lappie” meaning the Babysense Taglet “ultimate doodoo blanky” ). We’re on our 2nd one. The first one disappeared when boytjie was about 18 months old. We suspect that it’s still lying behind a potplant in some restaurant somewhere….

The loss of “lappie” was a disaster of major proportions. Luckily we were in East London and could rush to Woollies to buy lappie nr2. At R 85 . Again. For a piece of cloth 20X20cm.

( Here’s a tip : Whatever your child chooses as a “self soothing comfort object” be it a “lappie”, a soft toy or a piece of women’s underwear MAKE SURE YOU BUY 3. )

Women’s underwear?

The farmer’s sister clung to one of her mother’s slips throughout toddlerhood….who knows what the neighbours thought?

“Lappie” has travelled the country. It has been up in Pretoria and it has been down in Cape Town. It has seen Paternoster and Port Elizabeth, Cintsa bay and Stellenbosch.

“Lappie” is the first thing we look for in the morning and the last thing clutched tightly at night.

“Lappie” has been chewed by the boerboel and the Worshond. It’s changed colour from white to beigy spit up. But “lappie” is what he wants…

We have spent ENDLESS hours searching for “lappie”. It lands up behind things, under things, on top of things.

The farmer has exclaimed on more than one occassion : “If ANYONE buys my daughter a @**&% lappie they will be **%$@ shot! ”

THE CURRENT STATE OF “LAPPIE” :

This morning Boytjie was on a new mission. He decided that “Sussie” has to be introduced to “lappie”.